Sonar may be used to perform a number of functions important to travel over or through water, such as to perform bathymetry, detect underwater hazards, find fish, and/or otherwise assist in navigation by producing data and/or imagery of a water column beneath a watercraft. Sonar systems often include at least one sonar transducer positioned to receive sonar returns, which can in turn be converted to sonar data and/or recognizable sonar imagery. A typical sonar transducer may be positioned within a fairing block mounted to the hull of a watercraft.
Conventional fairing blocks create turbulence as the watercraft travels over or through the water, particularly as the speed of the watercraft increases, and the turbulence may cause cavitation near or beneath the sonar transducer, which degrades the performance of the sonar transducer by introducing noise into the sonar returns and/or otherwise reducing the ability of the transducer to couple with, receive, and/or generate sound waves in the water. Furthermore, turbulence and/or cavitation near a sonar transducer may cause physical deterioration of and/or damage to the sonar transducer and/or other portions of the watercraft. As a result, operation and maintenance of a sonar transducer mounted to a watercraft using a conventional fairing block may be costly and time-consuming. Moreover, the effect is multiplied as the number of sonar transducers installed on a single mobile structure increases. Repairing or replacing one or more sonar transducers can require substantial down time while new sonar transducers are mounted to the mobile structure, and often results in lost productivity and/or decreased operational safety. Thus, there is a need for sonar systems implemented with improved fairing blocks, particularly in the context of sonar transducers mounted to watercraft travelling and navigating through water.